An ex-marine psychiatrist attempts to rehabilitate his patients by indulging their fantasies, and seeks to prove the existence of a loving God to one especially troubled inmate.An ex-marine psychiatrist attempts to rehabilitate his patients by indulging their fantasies, and seeks to prove the existence of a loving God to one especially troubled inmate.An ex-marine psychiatrist attempts to rehabilitate his patients by indulging their fantasies, and seeks to prove the existence of a loving God to one especially troubled inmate.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 4 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJoe Spinell's character of "Spinell", a patient at the castle-hospital, was not in the novel nor the original script. Spinell had begged writer and director William Peter Blatty, a close friend of his, to cast him in a small role as the sidekick to Jason Miller's character of Lieutenant Reno. Since there was no part for Spinell in the movie, his character was given the same last name. Nearly all of Spinell's dialogue was ad-libbed.
- GoofsWhen Capt. Cutshaw places the mud pie on Col. Kane's desk it is whole and intact. In the next shot the mud pie is very noticeably crumbled.
- Quotes
Col. Vincent Kane: In order for life to have appeared spontaneously on earth, there first had to be hundreds of millions of protein molecules of the ninth configuration. But given the size of the planet Earth, do you know how long it would have taken for just one of these protein molecules to appear entirely by chance? Roughly ten to the two hundred and forty-third power billions of years. And I find that far, far more fantastic than simply believing in God.
- Alternate versionsThere are five different versions of this film, with various running times from 99 up to 140 minutes. Director William Peter Blatty disowned all versions except one: his approved cut runs 118 minutes and is the version that was originally released theatrically in the USA. This version is available on DVD.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Night of the Creeps: Tom Atkins, Man of Action (2009)
- SoundtracksThere's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder
Written by Al Jolson (uncredited), Billy Rose (uncredited) and Dave Dreyer (uncredited)
Performed by Al Jolson
Courtesy of MCA Records
But I watched this movie. Then I rewound it and watched it again. Over the next three days, I watched and rewatched every frame of this masterpiece more times than I should publicly admit. I was moved beyond words, beyond being an audience. I became a disciple--even a proselyte--for this film. Stacy Keach completely astounded me, someone who knew him only as Mike Hammer. People, this man can ACT. I saw every demon his Colonel Kane carried with him. The rest of the cast, with a special metion for Scott Wilson's amazing performance as a tortured astronaut and for Ed Flanders, who kept his character's true motivation well hidden until it could stand to be covered no more, was perfect.
But this movie is, above all, about the writing and the direction. William Peter Blatty cared about his project, and the lucky few (sadly, VERY few) of us who shared in it were fortunate enough to see cinematic perfection virtually attained. Watch this film, let it develop, don't question where its motives are until it decides to let you in on them. Give it your full attention, and you will be rewarded with a treat we so tragically, rarely get to have. No special effects, no huge budget. Just artistry. Pure, refined artistry.
- How long is The Ninth Configuration?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Ninth Coinfiguration
- Filming locations
- Castle Eltz, Wierschem, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany(exteriors of the castle)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1